Natalie Mahowald, Professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Cornell, has been quoted in many news stories covering the recently-released report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The 728-page report detailed how Earth’s weather, health and ecosystems would be in better shape if the world’s leaders could somehow limit future human-caused warming to just 0.9 degrees Fahrenheit (a half degree Celsius) from now, instead of the globally agreed-upon goal of 1.8 degrees F (1 degree C).

Mahowald, first author on the report, has made it clear in interviews that the consequences of unchecked global warming are no longer theoretical. Mahowald told the Associated Press, "For some people, this is a life or death situation without a doubt."